Photo by Wayne Gunn More amazing weather is on the way for the rest of this week and weekend. Highs should be in the mid-70s, possibly reaching 80 tomorrow, and overnight lows around 60. Next week will be much hotter and more humid, so enjoy this while it lasts. [WGN, NWS]......

Photo by Zooyko Gorgeous day alert: Highs should be around 72 degrees, and it's supposed to be sunny all day. This whole week will be delightful, with clear skies and moderate temps. Best. [NWS, TWC, song to which the headline of this post refers]......

Photo by curve my flight More severe storms battered our area this morning, and after a weekend of some rough weather, there's still more to come. There's a flash-flood watch for Chicago and Romeoville, thanks to a "slow-moving frontal boundary" and "abundant low-level moisture." Steamy! After today's tropical sweatiness, though, a cooler front should be heading into the region. Over the weekend, over 200,000 ComEd customers were without power, penny-sized hail fell in Elgin,......

Photo by Brantastic Steamy temperatures this morning will give way to severe thunderstorms this afternoon, and yesterday was so humid we reached a tropical level dew-point of 70 degrees. [NWS, Trib]......

Yeow! It's hot! Highs will be in the 90s today and tomorrow—holy moly—but things should cool off a little bit this weekend. Highs in the 90s aren't unheard of in these parts, and aren't even record-breaking. WTF, spring. Where did you go? Last night's severe storms knocked out power for about 8,000 Com-Ed customers, and we're looking at some stormy weather through Monday. If you've been holding off on buying a new umbrella, give in......

We know dogs don't have much to do with the weather, but the picture just seemed summer-y for some reason. Photo by Rebecca Anne. Double up on pit patrol today: It's hot. Today's highs will be near 80, but thunderstorms may develop tonight, and we're looking at heavy rains the rest of this week. If today's bright sunshine seems especially nice, that may be because November 2007-April 2008 was the sixth-cloudiest six-month period in......

OMG, trolls. Photo by Chloeloe TGIF. We know it was only a four-day week, but what a doozy. It's going to be rainy and muggy all day, so bring an umbrella. [NWS]......

Photo by Kudzuplanet It's not our imaginations--this month has been much colder than typical Mays. Yesterday's high was the lowest for the date since 1959, and so far this is the 35th coldest May since 1871. And today's high in the low 60s still puts us "a whopping 7.8 degrees behind last year," according to, you guessed it, Mr. Tom Skilling. [Trib, NWS]......

Photo by PhotoDu.de It's not just your imagination--it's way chilly for the end of May. According to everyone's favorite meteorologist Tom Skilling, this is one of the five nippiest Mays in the last 50 years. Still, we're looking forward to warmer weather starting Sunday. In other weather tidbits, mid-afternoon is the hottest time of day, and the NOAA plans storm names years in advance.......

Photo by BHeuer The city's beaches open tomorrow—um, finally—and despite less-than-sweltering temps this week, things should be heating up by Sunday, when highs will be in the 80s. Heyo! That'll make it the warmest day so far this year. Keep weekend barbecue plans flexible, though; thunderstorms Monday could ruin your burger-making endeavors. [Trib, TWC, NWS]......

Photo by azi|g It's going to be surprisingly cool the rest of this week, but don't cancel your barbecue plans just yet: highs should be over 70 Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Expect the rest of this week to be sunny with highs around 60. [NWS, WGN, TWC]......

Photo by Efroten It's going to be sunny today, but still not as warm as we might hope; expect highs to be a little under 60. And if you're planning on being out and about instead of watching the season finale of Gossip Girl tonight, bring an umbrella--there's a 40 percent chance of showers this evening. [NWS, the title's from a poem]......

Photo by bowl rider But you should still put on a happy face. Highs will be in the low 60s today, but we're looking at clouds and thunderstorms through the end of next week. According to Tom Skilling's crack team, only four Mays in the last 50 years have had wetter starts. [TWC, NWS, WGN]......

Photo by dpnash After a brisk weekend, we're looking at sunny skies today, with highs around 60. [NWS]......

Photo by Brantastic Chilly temperatures are settling in for the next two weeks. Ayee! Highs through this weekend won't even crack 60, so bring a sweatshirt. [WGN, NWS]......

Just in case you were debating, definitely go for it. It's amazing out. Highs today will be close to 80, which is the warmest day we're going to have for the next week or so, plus there's a chance of thunderstorms tonight. Enjoy the sunshine. [NWS, photos by Rebecca Anne and Broken Bat.]......

Finally! After eons of chilly, wet weather, we finally have honest-to-goodness gorgeous spring day. Sadly, it's not going to last. Thunderstorms are likely tonight and will continue through Saturday, and then on-and-off through next week. [TWC, NWS, photo by drdave88]......

We were out at Silver Cloud last night, when we remembered the interview we did with Larry Bell from last December. Didn't he say that he was going to have the new Kalamazoo Brewery beer at Silver Cloud? Indeed he did. We were excited to give it a shot, so we asked the waitress what they had on tap from Kalamazoo. When she said that they had Oberon on tap and on special, as soon......

Photo by Wayne Gunn Today's temperature should top out close to 80, but we're looking at lows in the 30s this weekend, with highs probably not cracking 60. And get that umbrella at the ready--thunderstorms tonight may continue through the next few days. [NWS]......

It seems like everywhere we look, the city's bursting with springtime.......

If it seems a long time has passed since you’ve talked about how nice the weather is, it’s because, well, it has. It’s been 178 days since the temperature in Chicago has reached 70 degrees. No, it’s not normal. Only three other times in Chicago history has more time passed between 70-degree temps--in 1944, 1958, and 1993. But meteorologists are predicting that tomorrow's temperature will stop our streak of cold weather with an expected high......

Photo by Rebecca Anne This weekend finally felt like spring, which has made today's case of the Mondays even worse, but the sunshine's fleeting. It's going to rain tomorrow, Thursday and probably Friday, too, so get your outdoor jollies tonight. Temps will be lower the rest of this week, with highs barely cracking 50 and lows in the upper 30s. We've been on a kid-joke kick recently, so here's a weather-related one: What do......

Not yet, suckas. Photo by Kudzuplanet Happy spring! Today marked the spring equinox, which means bust out the picnic baskets and flower pots--it's time to celebrate. Except wait a little while because our area is under a winter storm watch tonight through late tomorrow. Expect heavy, wet snow starting after midnight, with around an inch accumulating over night and 3-5 inches accumulating during the day on Friday. At least it won't be too cold;......

Photo by only-connect Are we in out-like-a-lamb territory yet? If we're not fully there, we're at least close, as today's highs in the 50s prove. Come to mama. Tomorrow will be a little chillier, but still in the 50s, and highs will be in the 40s the rest of the weekend. But that got us thinking...how do we mark when spring is really here? (We know, we know, March 20. But dates ain't nothing......

Cubs third baseman Aramis Remirez finally arrived at Spring Training on Tuesday, but when asked by reporters what he did on his winter vacation, he refused to answer. In fact, he wouldn't even allow for the reporter to finish asking the question. Of course, we all know what he was up to back home this off-season. Last week, the New York Times profiled cockfighting and its popularity in a land known for its prolific export......

In just a few short weeks, Top Chef Chicago will hit the airwaves and we're counting down the days to the March 12 season premiere. In addition to placing the city's restaurant scene at the forefront of the series and the backdrop for the competition, there are three chefs with local ties competing for the title of "Top Chef." Valerie Bolon is a personal chef and instructor at Kendall College. She's also worked in......

Sure, it's still damn cold out. And the snow keeps coming. And coming. But spring is just around the corner. How do we know? Because Spring Training is finally upon us. The Cubs' pitchers and catchers reported to Mesa on Wednesday and begin practice today, while the White Sox pitchers and catchers are set to arrive in Tuscon on Saturday. Why the Sox waiting another couple days when clearly they're a team that needs all......

A gift from Cupid's Treasures may be nice once in a while, but food is a time-tested aphrodisiac. Restaurants throughout the city are gearing up for one of their busiest days Thursday. Here is a list of price fixe dinners guaranteed to mae a romantic out of even the most callous individuals. Shawn McClain at Spring has crafted a four-course menu featuring the highest quality seasonal ingredients for $80. $40 extra will get you wine......

After months of spying and accounts of shooting around town, Bravo finally announced the contestants for the next season of "Top Chef" today (you can read the release here). While the lineup of chefs vying to impress Padma and company are largely from the coasts, three of the contestants have Chicago ties: Stephanie Izzard is best known around town as the former chef/owner of Scylla (replaced by the amazing Takashi) in Bucktown. Best known for......

Someone apparently reads the site: former Chicagoist staffer Lisa Shames attended Sunday's beer and charcuterie seminar at Custom House and e-mailed us to say that there were at least four people in attendance beside her who found out about the seminar via Chicagoist. We ran into at least that many people last night who said the same. But this isn't about us. It's about the beer and the cured meats. And we can say with......